The QR Code
by CranesFlyHighOvertheSky
Summary: One night, a girl falls through the roof into Nagihiko's house. At first, he does what everyone would probably do in that situation. Panic. Shout. Scream. Call the police. Time passes, however, and he decides to allow her to stay in his house. Nagihiko later learns more about the reason behind the girl's sudden appearance. Also, he becomes aware of her feelings...and his own.
1. A Girl Fell Out of the Sky (Not Kidding)

**Hello, everyone. I was zoning out, and this idea popped into my head. I know. Spontaneous. From experience, I know better than to trust my instincts when it comes to ideas, but this one seemed decent enough. Lately, I've been feeling as if my stories were too radical...too different. So, I'm going to make this one cliché. Yes, cliché. The chapter title says it all. Enjoy. Oh, and just in case, QR (Quick Response) Code refers to the bar-code on objects (that identify the object and its cost, etc.). The meaning behind the title will be revealed in later chapters.**

* * *

"(3x-5) / 4...x = ..."

"Hey!"

"(5-i) (5+i)"

"_You_!"

"f(x) = 25-x^2..."

"Pay attention to me you dolt!"

Grinding my teeth from left to right in mild annoyance, I calmly ordered, "Be quiet, QR. I need to focus on these problems. If not, I'll kick you out. No kidding."

Silence.

I sighed in relief. Hopefully, she would have enough reason left in her to-

With an epic battle cry, the little vixen jumped on my back, breaking my pencil and slamming my head against the desk. Legs wrapped around my chest and mouth against my ear, she whispered, "You can't kick me out."

"Why not?"

"I won't let you."

"Get off me before I sue you!"

"For what?"

"For house intrusion, sexual harassment, physical assault, the cause for mental deterioration, and the list goes _on_ and _on_ and _on_ and _on_-"

"Temper, temper...calm down, will you?" Even without looking, I knew she had her tongue pointed out towards the back of my head, arms crossed, and eyes rolling.

How did it end up like this? Well, sit tight and listen...if you dare.

* * *

A day after my little sister's funeral, a girl fell out of the sky.

Wait, wait, wait. I'm not crazy. I'm a perfectly normal high school boy. My name is Nagihiko, age 18. Never took drugs before. Never smoked...well, maybe once, but that's beside the point. The police thinks I'm crazy, and they have a good reason to presume so. But, I'm not. I'm sane.

Let me tell you, truthfully, how this all came about.

The Saturday it happened, my sister died in a car accident. The funeral took place the day my sister died, as it usually does for people who can't afford to organize a formal procession. My fellow "cousins" came to the funeral to offer me their "condolences," (as if they ever cared before) or so they told me.

Nobody understood the sadness that overwhelmed my heart. I felt guilty. I should have kept an eye on her. I had promised my parents I would protect her. Anyone who lost someone important to them would understand. It doesn't go away that easily; the bond you shared with your loved ones last a long while, even after their death. From time to time, their faces reappear in nightmares; their death scene playing over and over again in your head, unforgettable.

Distraught and depressed, I told everyone to fuck off and came back to the house my sister and I (used to) share, quite alone. Yes, I know. Real mature. Part of the reason why the police now suspects my sanity. But, hey. A teenager who just lost his only living kin (yes, there are cousins, but they don't matter enough to count) with hormones raging inside his body, driving him crazy 24/7? Come on! What would you expect?

Hell, I even contemplated suicide! Nothing important was left to live for! At least, that's what I thought. So, why am I not dead, yet? Jumping off a building takes a lot of mathematical calculations. For example, knowing when to close your eyes, where to land, how to jump off...fine. I chickened out. There. I admitted it.

I probably would have been better off with my life if I'd killed myself before she fell out of the sky. Instead of experiencing that terrible moment when I thought I really was a goner...now, now, now, I'll get to the point.

My sister and I weren't poor enough to live in the streets, but we had our own financial troubles. We couldn't afford to live in one of those fancy villas, so we had to make do with a cheap, humble abode composed of straw and bricks. So, what? We had a house. That was enough to make me happy. Enough to make me happy...until the girl fell right through the straw roof at 12:01 in the morning (completely ruining the whole purpose of the roof) following the funeral.

Furthermore, she fell on my face, nearly breaking the bridge of my nose.

She landed with a loud crack, head smacking the tip of my nose and arms flailing against my side. Of course, not fully comprehending what had happened, almost instinctively (yes, this does happen from time to time), I thrust the "creature" above me towards the door, using both hands. Still half-asleep, I heard a high-pitched shriek (or so I thought) and rubbed my eyes lazily with the side of my hand, expecting some lost bird to appear before my eyes. Nope. I ran out of luck when my sister died, I guess.

A girl about the size of my sister sat on the floor next to me, rolling her eyes at me with her lips puckered. A typical teenager, really, now that I think about it. Her physical appearance was stunning (not exactly in a good way): disheveled, but beautiful goldenrod hair; slightly thin, but not overly so; and crimson lips, covered partly in blood.

She closely resembled my sister. Small physique, curly hair, a small face, delicate hands and feet, and the list could go on. All in all, they looked pretty much the same in the dark, especially under the eerie moonlight.

Silence.

Stare.

Silence.

Stare.

Silence.

Stare.

Silence.

I tried to scream, but my vocal cords failed me. A ghost. That's what I thought. What else could be true? A girl who looks exactly like my sister jumps into the house from the sky at one in the morning a day after my sister's funeral?

Before I could react to anything, however, the girl pointed out, "Your roof's not that strong, is it?"

* * *

I blinked my eyes a couple of times. Finding my voice after a minute, tentatively, I questioned, "Who are you?"

"Queen Rima." A curt reply.

"I mean, where did you come from?"

"From the sky, obviously."

"Where did you _really_ come from? Plus, why are you wearing hospital clothes? Where are you parents? Why are you covered in blood? Are you from the Land of the Dead? Why in the world did you fall through the roof!?"

The girl paused. A slight curve forming beside her lips, she replied, "I don't feel obliged to tell you."

I seethed quietly. A random, zombie girl falling out of the sky at nearly one in the morning? Life was surely getting better by the minute. "Are you human?"

"You tell me."

Now, that freaked me out. A girl, possibly human (or maybe not), lips covered in blood, talking to me in the middle of the night. Creepy.

"Get out." I grabbed the girl's arm, pulling her towards the door.

"No." She began to pull in the opposite direction.

"Why not?"

"I don't have anywhere to return to."

I released my grip from the girl's arm and stared for a minute, arms crossed. Shaking my head, I grabbed her hair and resumed my dragging.

"Hey! Stop that! It hurts!"

"You're the one who has to stop lying to me first. Did you really think I would believe such a lame excuse? Let me guess. You have the flu. You didn't want to get that shot tomorrow, so you ran away from the hospital. For goodness sake! Stop being such a kid! How old are you, even?"

"Seventeen."

I turned around. "What?"

Blowing away a strand of hair that covered her face, she reiterated, "Seventeen."

A girl who looked like she had barely entered middle school telling me she was seventeen? Was she even human?

I immediately turned to the door, pulling it open and quickening my pace.

"Where are we going?" the girl asked, trying to break free from my hand.

"We're taking you to the police."

* * *

Well, you see, the whole crazy night would have come to a peaceful end if she had not uttered _those_ words in front of the police. All right, I'll admit it. It was partly my fault for surprising the police officer with my sudden outburst.

"Excuse me. This young lady suddenly fell out of the sky. I don't know where she resides. I don't know who her parents are. I don't know why she decided to break into our house at nearly one in the morning. I don't know how she managed to fall out of the sky. I don't even know if she's human. Something I do know, however, is that I need you to bring her back home while I go back to get some more sleep."

The police station only had one officer on duty during the night as I found out that day for the first time (never had to drag someone to the police after midnight). Of course, as a normal human being would, he stared at me for a full minute, the cigarette in his hand falling slowly to the ground.

Before I could fully explain myself, the teary-eyed seventeen-year-old-intruder cried out, "I'm so sorry...so sorry! Police officer, I truly...truly apologize for disturbing you so late in the night. My brother...my brother..he told me he couldn't afford to buy my medicine...he told me he had to use the money to buy...drugs...he's been addicted for so long...he can't think straight-"

I interrupted indignantly, "You! What are you talking about?" Turning to the police officer, I explained, "No, no, no, no, no! She's wrong. She's crazy. I don't know why in the world she's-"

The girl sniffed for good measure.

I continued, "-doing this to me, but-"

The police officer shook his head slowly, putting a hand up in front of my face. Sighing, he muttered, "Geez, kid. Stop taking drugs and take care of your little sister, okay?"

"No, but-"

"You need to start thinking about your own family, my boy. You're a big boy. _A big boy_."

"I know, but that's not-"

"Yes, yes, yes, I know. I did drugs when I was your age. I completely understand how the substance affects certain young adults in our society, but you have to stop, kid. You have to stop."

"This girl over here intruded my house-"

"It's all right. It's all right. I won't report you. I promise. Just take care of your little sister, okay?"

"No, that's not it-"

"Yes, yes, yes. The exit lies that way."

With that, he gently pushed me away with his hand.

* * *

After coming out of the police station, I gripped the girl's shoulders tightly, digging my fingernails into her collarbone. She winced and complained, "That hurts. Stop it!" She tried to swat away my hands from her shoulders using her tiny fingers.

I ignored her and demanded, "Why did you say that? Why did you make me look like an idiot in front of the police officer? Why? Why did you lie to him? You brat!"

She smoothly corrected me. "My name is Queen Rima."

Shaking her, I responded, "No, I don't need to know that. Answer me. Why did you do that?"

"I'll be staying at your house for the meantime, thank you very much." She bowed her head a little in "respect."

I shook my head. "No, no, no, no, no, no. No way."

"Why not?"

"Teenage girls and teenage boys don't sleep together in the same room."

"Why not?"

"Trust me. You don't want me to explain this to you."

"What if I do want you to?"

"No, you don't. Please go back to wherever you came from. Mars. Jupiter. Candy Land. Whatever."

"I don't have anywhere else to go."

"I don't care. Go pester someone else." I turned around and began walking towards my house.

"I'll haunt you in your dreams forever."

I shivered, but kept walking.

"You'll regret this for the rest of your life!"

I continued, not stopping.

Silence.

Did she finally give up? No.

She whispered in a low voice, "No one wants me, do they?"

_No...no one wants me! I will never be special enough in their hearts, right? That's it, isn't it? Okay, I'll go._

I paused in my tracks, sighing. Without turning around, I announced, "Just for tonight. I'm kicking you out tomorrow morning."

Tiny footsteps. Getting louder. Louder... Louder. Louder! The girl jumped on my back and shouted, "I knew it! You actually like me, don't you?"

"No, I do not. I just gave you permission to-"

"Sleep in your house."

"Stop phrasing it weirdly."

"Can I stay there forever?"

"_No_."

* * *

**Yes, end of chapter one. Sort of crazy. Sort of fun. Supposed to not make much sense (it will later, but for now). Anyway, I enjoyed writing it (especially the dialogue), so I hope you guys liked it, too. Reviews, criticism, praise...everything's appreciated! Please tell me what you thought of the story. Thanks, guys!**


	2. The Code Who Cares for Worms (Eccentric)

**Hello, hello...thanks for the reviews, guys. It helps. A lot. No, I really do appreciate it. Just a heads-up for the future...this story's probably going to have ten chapters. I don't have enough material to last the usual 15~18 chapters I do, so that's the reason for that. Without further ado, enjoy chapter two!**

* * *

"You need to work."

"I do?"

"Yes, you do."

"Why?"

"Work or get out."

"I've never tried working before. I can't do it. End of story." The girl rolled her eyes peevishly in mild protest.

Sighing, I half-commanded and half-requested, "Then, at least _try_ to learn. I'm dragging you to my workplace after school nevertheless. Be ready by four, okay?"

"Not okay."

I grabbed the girl's puffed-up cheeks with both of my hands and growled, "You little-"

The girl slapped my hands away with the back of hers. She let out a fluttering sigh, interrupting my reprimand for the umpteenth time. "It's Queen Rima," she corrected, "Not 'you little girl.'"

"More like 'Queer Rima,'" I snorted, bowing my head sarcastically to prove my point.

"Why you little-"

I shoved my hand against her face, abruptly silencing her. Rolling my eyes, I questioned, "Didn't you just tell me not to call you 'you little whatever?' If you don't want others to call you that, why do you do so yourself?"

"That's-"

"Hypocritical."

After that? You really don't want to know. Let's just say that I barely got out of the house alive (hair singed, knees bruised, hands bleeding, lips ripped, etc.). An average day in my life, really. Since I allowed the-girl-who-spontaneously-fell-out-of-the-roof to stay in my house, everything's been haphazard and inhumanely crazy.

So, why didn't I kick her out like I promised I would the day after she fell through the roof? Ha...don't ask that question, please. Every time I try to get her out of the house, she cries, calls the police (who doesn't listen to a word I say), writhes, screams, fights, pulls my hair, etc. In return, I cry, call the police, writhe, scream, fight, pull her hair, etc. She always wins. No idea why. We both use the same "provoke-one-another-until-someone-dies" technique. Then, according to probability, I should have been able to kick her out at least once, right? _No_. I have to admit, as she reiterates over and over again, she _is_ the queen (of all whiners).

* * *

_~Morning After the Incident~_

"Now, you promised. Return to wherever you came from."

"I told you I don't have anywhere to return to."

"I don't care. Get out, please."

Silence.

The girl merely stared intently into my eyes, scrutinizing my every move, almost to the point where it began to make me feel uncomfortable. Just as I was about to shove her out of the door forcefully, she announced nonchalantly, "Fine. I'll get out."

I raised my eyebrows suspiciously. "Really? That easily?"

"On one condition."

I groaned inwardly. This could be bad. No, _lethal_. "What?"

"You need to escort me back to my home."

"That's easy." I sighed in relief. I thought she would request something outrageous like-

"-climbing Mt. Everest."

I blinked a couple of times, staring into the girl's honeycomb-colored eyes. "What did you just say?"

She crossed her arms and sighed. "A falcon carried me all the way down from Mt. Everest to your house. So, I need you to climb back to Mt. Everest with me. Please listen to me the first time around. _Please_. I can't afford to speak to you twice about the same issue, can I? Too much physical exertion, really." She seemed perfectly serious, eyes unblinking.

"You're kidding."

"Not."

"No, you're kidding. There's absolutely no way a girl-"

"If not, I can stay in your house forever. Problem solved."

"No, no, no, no, no, no..."

"Or, we can begin the arduous journey up Mt. Everest starting tomorrow. Broaden your horizons, you know?"

"No, no, no, no, no, no..."

The girl sighed and rolled over on her makeshift bed made of old blankets and cushions. As soon as she turned her body away from me, she fell silent.

"Hey, are you sleeping?"

"No."

"I'm calling the police."

"Don't you remember how that worked out last time?"

"You-"

"Shut up. You'll never be able to escape from me anyway. Give up, my dear."

"No. I'm not giving up until you get out of this damn-"

The girl, in one swift movement, moved closer to me, pressing her nose against mine...surprising me just a _little_. My heart fluttered just a little. Our eyes met for just a little while. I hesitated...just a little.

As quickly as she had approached me, she drew back. We immediately grew silent.

Silence.

After a while, as I opened my mouth to ask her to get out again, the girl, her voice almost inaudible, whispered, "Sometimes, life doesn't always go the way you want it to. So, shut up and let me stay."

I stared at her tiny physique, wondering how she had _really_ fallen through the roof in the middle of the night. Our eyes met fleetingly. Her disheveled hair and form once again reminded me of my sister. Always lingering. Not letting go.

_They...they didn't love us...that's it, isn't it? I...I've had enough. Nagi, I want to stop thinking about them!_

For some reason, I decided to let the girl stay...(for just another month...I'll kick her out for _sure_ after one month!) after that.

* * *

I slapped my palm against the bridge of my nose, letting an inadvertent sigh escape from my mouth. As expected, by the time I returned from school, the girl still lay on her bed, clothed in her pajamas as usual.

"Why can't you listen to me for once, Your Queerness?" I questioned, slamming my backpack into the nearest wall.

"Do I need to answer this question again?" Her pajamas loosely enveloped her tiny configuration; even my sister's clothes were a size too small for her.

"No. It was a rhetorical question. Please _do not_ answer it."

"Deal. I won't."

"Get dressed before I do it myself."

"I'll call the police if you do that. You remember how that worked out last time?"

"What's new? I'm always in the wrong."

"I'm calling the police."

I paused here. If the girl actually _did_ call the police to report me as a rapist, I would never arrive at my workplace in time..._not good_. Is there something else I can use to drag her out of here (permanently if possible)...

I smiled. Trying to keep my expression as nonchalant as possible, I consented, "Fine. You stay. I'll go."

The girl raised her eyebrows skeptically, but nevertheless, she replied, "Sounds good to me."

"I'm not returning until tomorrow morning though, so make sure to keep all the doors locked. Or else..." I tried to create as much tension as possible, raising my eyebrows for an extra, special (not really) effect.

"Or else what?" She tried to conceal it, but I detected her hands slightly trembling against her left thigh...an immediate reaction. With this, I might be able to coerce her into coming to the damn farm with me...

"Who-The-Hell-Are-These-Creatures from Mars might assault you during the night." Here, I closed all the curtains and turned off the lights. I brought out a flashlight and turned it on, illuminating a small section of the room.

Lips quivering ever so slightly, the girl responded, "Ha! Who-The-Hell-Are-These-Creatures? I would rather sleep with Who-The-Hell-Are-These-Creatures than you!"

I barely stopped myself from repudiating her directly. Instead, I smiled brightly and nodded. Tauntingly, I said, "So be it. You sleep with Who-The-Hell-Are-These-Creatures, then. Sounds perfectly fine to me. One night without a snoring lady (a perfect oxymoron, don't you agree?) beside me."

"I don't snore!"

Turning the lights back on, I snorted, "Sure you don't."

"No, really! You know I..._you_!" She narrowed her eyes at me, threatening me to make my next move.

"Ah, it's already time to leave! Have a nice time sleeping with Who-The-Hell-Are-These-Creatures." I waved my hands half-heartedly and turned around to leave the house.

Just as I began to doubt my own strategic planning, the girl shouted, "Wait...Wait! I'll go with you! Wait for me, you idiot." The edge of her eyes had swelled up just a little.

Did I just make her cry? That's a first. Well, it still works for me, I guess.

* * *

Did I just say that it still works for me? No, I take that back. It doesn't. That cunning little vixen! The Queen of Acting! Deception! Evil! Whatever-you-call-this-little-idiosyncratic-midget! The girl just _had_ to fall into my house out of all those houses...

_~One Hour Ago~_

"Hey."

...

"_Hey_."

...

"Hey!"

"What?"

The "little princess" sat upright on her seat; her arms and legs remained crossed. While gently smoothing out her tousled hair, she questioned, "What kind of job do you have? Why are we driving towards the suburbs?"

"You'll see soon."

"I want to see now."

"Well, unfortunately, I can't drive any faster than this without breaching the laws, thank you very much."

The girl sighed her dainty sigh, putting her finger to her lips, tapping them. After a minute or two, she remarked, "I am _not_ doing any sort of physical labor. Please keep that in mind."

"_Really_."

"Really."

...

The girl and I stepped out of the car and crossed the fields to reach a dilapidated, brownish grayish office complex. As expected of her, the girl carefully navigated her way to the building, being extra cautious not to get any mud on her shoes. Even before entering the office, a man with brown plaid pants and shirt skipped towards me with a sanguine smile, his gait somewhat crooked and out-of-place (as usual, if I may be allowed to add).

I faced the man in front of me and bowed. I looked at the girl, requesting her to do the same with my eyes. Did it work? Of course not. That arrogant, conceited little queen stared directly at the man's eyes, a quaint expression clouding her face.

To quickly end the overwhelming silence, I spoke up, "Uh, Mr. Brotcherskins, this is..." I hesitated. Little Girl? Little Queen? Queer Queen? The-girl-who-suddenly-fell-out-of-the-roof? No neither of those names would make sense...

"Mr. Brotcherskins, how much do you pay this guy per hour?" the senseless little girl questioned before I could rectify my little blunder.

I stood perfectly still with my mouth slightly agape. Always something unexpected and spontaneous...that little kid!

Squinting his eyes at the girl, Mr. Brotcherskins replied, "Forty-seven cents a day, my dear. Why do you ask, little girl?"

Suddenly gasping and over-dramatically arching her back, the little girl cried, "Oh! Earning forty-seven cents a day for my entire life! How pitiful! I wish I could be the slave of a master who can afford to make more use of my intellectual prowess!"

"A slave!" Mr. Brotcherskins gasped. Now, if this were any other employer, he or she could not have cared less about the little girl's "dire predicament," but of course, the overly philanthropic Mr. Brotcherskins would rather fall into Hell than hire a slave for the sake of his business.

I immediately began to intercede, "Wait, wait, wait, wait, Mr. Brotcherskins. You have a misunderstanding-"

The little devil continued, "You know, I...I'm actually a princess...from...Mars. To save my people and kingdom from demise I had to concede to come to earth with the rapist prince..."

Mr. Brotcherskins and I merely stared at her as she continued to compose a story purely based on her imagination. Whenever I tried to intervene, Mr. Brotcherskins slammed his index finger to his mouth, silencing me. God, that girl...if she worked as hard as she whined, I wouldn't care even if ten of her siblings wanted to live in my house!

Next? I was fired? What else? Thank god he didn't call the police! Only after I convinced him I would surely escort her back to Mars, he agreed not to report me to the local police officers (who _already_ hate me enough, thanks to that mischievous little girl). That Mr. Brotcherskins...he better be careful of swindlers around the area...gullible to the extent in which I am concerned for his level of sanity.

* * *

"Now, tell me, sweetheart, where am I going to earn my living?" I inquired, crossing my arms around my chest, quite irked.

Sighing, the little girl replied, "You weren't earning much anyway. You should learn to be more thankful. Plus, you should have known from the start. I told you I didn't want to work." The girl quietly followed behind me, her footsteps treading the ground silently.

Shaking my head and quickening my pace, I responded, "No, no, no, no...don't follow me. I'm leaving this place without you! I can't cope with your eccentric behavior any further!"

"Wait, wait, wait!" The girl grabbed my wrist.

"No!" I pulled my wrist away from her tiny fingers. Something squelched under my shoes as I slammed my right foot onto the dirt below.

The girl quickly pushed me out of the way, kneeling on the ground regardless of the mud around her (which surprised me). After carefully examining the dirt like a textbook, she whispered, "You killed it."

"What do you mean?" I questioned, befuddled by her nonsensical remark.

She slowly stood up, pointing at the ground right next to her. A disfigured body of an "ex-earthworm" lay squished in the mud, entrails slowly oozing out of its perforated tissues.

"I won't follow you, so please don't do that again," the girl ordered calmly, kneeling down again to cover the worm with a mixture of pebbles and mud. Tears clouded her eyes despite her efforts to hold them back.

These tears were real. I knew. They were different from the ones she used to manipulate others around. Later, much later, I would realize why she wept honest tears over a mere earthworm. Now, however, though a part of me thought that earthworms did not deserve to be mourned for, another part of my soul ascertained something else: gentleness that comes with juvenility. Immaculacy. Pure purity. The girl resembled a QR Code...a maze of perplexing symbols and signs. The most fundamentals of common sense would not be able to decipher such a code.

"Hey."

The girl stayed silent.

Before I could change my mind, I quickly ordered, "Let's get to the car. We'll go back together."

Slowly turning her head, the girl wondered, "I thought you wanted to abandon me here."

I gritted my teeth. "I changed my mind. Stand up, Queen Rima. _Let's go to where the car is_."

Jumping up and stepping a step back, the girl pointed out, "You're acting weird. First, you want to bring me back after I indirectly fired you. Second, you call me by my first name. You're confusing me."

"You know what?"

"What?"

"You're just as confusing as me, QR."

"What's with the creepy nickname?"

"I will solve you one day, QR. It's a promise."

"Did you bump your head recently? Or, do you need me to drive you to the mental asylum?"

* * *

**Done! I apologize for the delay. I'm really sorry! I began this over a month ago...I don't know what happened after that. Schoolwork, clubs, sports...all the world's soldiers and all the world's men just had to prevent me from solving more codes! Ha, lame! I know. Anyway, thanks for reading, and I promise I'll try to update more regularly. If anything doesn't make sense, please PM me. I'll be glad to answer any questions. Review if you have a comment, a suggestion, an idea, or anything! All is welcome:) **


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